3 Ways You’re Overthinking Your Writing (And How to Fix It!)

I’ve done this myself a plenty and I’ve been writing since I was 6-years-old. And every time I see myself falling into these patterns, I have to remind myself that I’m just overcomplicating it!

If this sounds like you or something you’ve done in the past, you’re likely overthinking your writing due to one of these three reasons. Here’s how to fix it!

3 Ways You’re Overthinking Your Writing

You’re Trying to Sound Like Someone Else

Let me guess: You stumbled upon someone’s website and it’s full of witty banter, hilarious puns and oh-so-fun copy that just gets you. It makes your heart soar when you read it and you think yes she gets me. I want to write like that!

Bad idea.

The reason you’re connecting so well with that copy is that person’s voice is truly shining through. But when you try too hard to sound like someone else, you’re not really being true to yourself and it will show. Plus, it’s a heck of a lot of effort to keep up!

SOLUTION: Do you. That’s what people want anyway, the real you! So if you are Miss Sassypants, go ahead and embrace that. But if you’re a bit mellow, that’s ok, too. Just focus on doing it your way and put on the blinders to what everyone else out there is doing.

You’re Striving for Perfection

Yes, you should always aim to put your best stuff out there. Quality over quantity, friends! But don’t obsess to the point where you’re not putting anything out there because it’s just not perfect yet. The beauty of the online universe is you can always go back and freshen things up later.

SOLUTION: If you’re afraid you’ll miss a mistake, try a free editing service like Grammarly. I have the Premium version, but the free one also will give you feedback on any grammatical errors and areas for improvement.

You Don’t Know What to Write

The No. 1 thing clients tell me is they want to blog…but they don’t know what to blog about! That’s exactly how the Brilliant Blog Plan was born actually, as a way to help solve the “I don’t know what to write about!” problem.

SOLUTION: Of course, not having a clear direction on what you want to write about will bring about writer’s block! This is why I always recommend having an editorial calendar or keeping an ongoing bank of story ideas so you’ll never run out of ideas on what to write about.

I keep both; I use an editorial calendar and also use Evernote to corral any random ideas I have when running around.

You should also regularly survey your audience to make sure you’re creating they want, need and enjoy!

You can easily create one using a free tool like Typeform. I recommend sending one out at least once a year. But you should also casually ask your audience what they want and like on your social media channels. This is easy to keep up with on an ongoing basis, and also great for your social engagement!

If you’re having trouble blogging, chances are you may be overthinking your writing! Stop trying to imitate someone else, make sure you have a great plan in place and remember, done is better than perfect and you’ll be well on your way to writing well again.

Do you overthink your writing sometimes? What are some ways you overcome it? Share below!

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